Door latching mechanism



Dec. 9, 1958 w. A. ENDTER DooR LATCHING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1v Filed June 14, 1954 mm S1 INVENTOR. MDEMA? g/575e,

Dec. 9, 1958 w. A. ENDTER DOOR LATCHING MECHANISM Filed June 14, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. PI/TQDEMA/Q 4. @VDI-Ef?,

United States Patent O DOOR LATCHING MECHANISM Waldemar A. Endter, Long Beach, Calif.

Application June 14, 1954, Serial No. 436,459

1 Claim. (Cl. 292-221) This invention relates to improved latch mechanisms for use on automobile doors and the like. Certain features of the mechanism as disclosed herein are being claimed in my copending application Serial No. 436,460, led Jun-e 14, 1954, now Patent No. 2,786,348; and certain other features which are claimed herein are disclosed in that copending application and in my copending application and in my copending application Serial No. 384,096, liled October 5, 1953, now Patent No. 2,758,860.

Latch devices embodying the invention are of the general type including a keeper unit, and a spring pressed bolt which overrides the keeper unit upon closing movement of the door, and then moves into a latching position of engagement with a holding surface on the keeper. Preferably, the keeper unit in latched condition is engaged also by a dovetail lug or shoulder, with the bolt and lug bearing against the keeper unit in essentially opposite vertical directions, to conne the keeper against relative Vertical movement. A major object of the invention is to provide a latch device of this general type which is structurally extremely simple, and yet is very positive in latching action, being constructed to positively assure against accidental unlatching of the device as a result of vibrations in use, and to virtually 'eliminate all backlash upon closing of the door.

Some of the advantages of the invention are attained by virtue of a unique interrelationship between the positioning of the dovetail lug or shoulder, and the manner in which the bolt is mounted as a swinging bolt for pivotal latching and antilatching movement. Specifically, the bolt is preferably so mounted that its keeper engaging portion or surface is olfset from the pivotal axis of the bolt in the same vertical direction as that in which the dovetail lug bears vertically against the keeper unit. It has been found that this particular relationship of the parts eliminates the possibility of the bolt riding along the keeper surface in an antilatching direction as a result of vibrabears downwardly against the keeper, and the bolt is corf respondingly offset downwardly with respect to the pivotal axis about which it swings.

Structurally, the apparatus may include a generally vertically extending plate, which may be mounted to an edge of a car door, and has a bolt carrying part at its inner side mounted for pivotal movement about an axis extending generally perpendicularly to the plate. The bolt may project from this swinging part and through an aperture in the plate to its outer side, for engagement with the coacting keeper. An additional part, for actuating the bolt carrying part, may be mounted at the inner side of the plate for pivotal movement about the same axis as the bolt. Preferably a single pin or element lServes both to attach the dovetail lug to the plate at its 2,863,688 Patented Dec. 9, 1958 ICC 2 outer side, and to mount the bolt carrying part for its desired pivotal movement at the inner side of the plate. This element may also serve the added function of pivotally mounting the actuating part.

Certain additional features of novelty reside in the manner of construction of the keeper itself. In particular, the keeper may have a rst surface for engaging the dovetail lug and facing in one vertical direction (usually upwardly) and a second bolt engaging surface facing essentially in the opposite vertical direction. As the bolt moves relative to the keeper toward latched position, the bolt may engage three successive portions of the coacting keeper surface. A first of these portions of the keeper surface is inclined, to deilect the bolt in antilatching or keeper overriding direction, while the second portion forms a notch for receiving'the bolt in a safety catch position. The third portion is inclined oppositely to the rst inclined portion, and is engaged by the bolt in the ultimate latched position.

The above and other features and objects of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the typical embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a View showing fragmentarily portions of an automobile door and adjacent stationary pillar, and their carried interengageable bolt and keeper parts;

Figs. 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are enlarged vertical sections taken on line- 2 2 of Fig. 1, and showing the keeper and bolt in four different relative positions;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the keeper engaging bolt, and taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and showing more of the door carried mechanism than is visible in Figs. 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. l, and showing the various parts which are hidden within the door, the parts being illustrated in their unlocked condition;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken on line 7 7 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a view corresponding to Fig. 5, but showing the parts as they appear when actuated to release the bolt and permit opening movement of the door;

Fig. 9 is a section taken on line 9 9 of Fig. 5, and showing the key controlled lock element in unlocked position; and

Fig. 10 is a section taken on line 10 10 of Fig. 5.

Referring first to Fig. 1, I have shown fragmentarily a portion of a conventional automobile swinging door 10, and a portion of an adjacent vertical stationary pillar or supporting structure 11. To the edge of the door is mounted a carrier plate or body 12, which carries a movable bolt 13 for engaging in latched relation with a keeper 14 stationarily carried by pillar 11. Bolt 13 engages the underside of keeper 14, with the upper side of the keeper being engageable by a dovetail lug or bearing member 15 carried by plate 12. The pillar 11 may be recessed at 16 to receive keeper 14 and the associated door carried parts. As seen in Fig. 4, plate 12 may be rectangular, and is connected into a correspondingly shaped opening in the body surface 10a of the door. A number of screws 17 may be employed for thus attaching the plate 12 to the door. Bolt element 13 may comprise an externally cylindrical roller, which is attached to a carrying part 19 mounted at the inner side of plate 12. The bolt projects from part 19 through opening 20 formed in plate 12, this opening being shaped as shown to allow for limited downward movement of bolt 13 between the latching position of Fig. 2c and the released position of Fig. 2d.

The vertical sectional configuration of keeper 14 is ilustrated in Figs. 2a-2d and 4. As seen in those figures, the keeper has a cylindrical downwardly facing recess 21 at the center of its underside, this recess being curved in correspondence with the outer surface of bolt 13, and adapted to receive the bolt in the safety catch position of Fig. 2b. Horizontally beyond recess 21 in a latching di'- rection, keeper 14 has an inclined surface 22, which is engaged by bolt 13 in the latched position shown in Fig-s. 2c and 4. At the opposite side of recess 21, the keeper has an oppositely inclined surface 23, which acts to engage the bolt, and cam it or deflect it downwardly (see Fig. 2a), as thebolt and keeper move into interengagement. The recess 21 and surfaces 22 and 23 are desirably joined smoothly by curved surface portions 24 of relatively 4small radii of curvature. At its upper side, keeper 14 has an upper horizontal surface 25, which slidably engages a horizontal undersurface 26 of door carried dovetail lug 15, as the door closes, to support the door on the keeper. The keeper may be rigidly attached to the pillar by a pair of screws 27, and is preferably symmetrical at oppo-site sides of a vertically extending central plane 28, so that a single design of keeper may be employed for both right and left hand Iswinging doors. As seen in Figs. 20V-2rd4 and lO, Ilug 15 may be hollow and horizontally elongated, and is rigidly secured to the outer side of plate 12 by a pair of horizontally spaced pins 29 and 30, which extend through the lugs and have their outer ends peened or enlarged to retain the lug.

Referring now to Figs. and 8, the part 19 for carrying bolt 13 may be formed of rigid sheet metal, and lies in a vertical plane extending parallel to and at the inner side of plate 12. Part 19 is mounted by and about a cylindrical portion 29b of lug mounting pin 29 for swinging movement in a vertical plane and about a horizontal axis extending perpendicularly with respect to plate 12. This pivotal mounting allows partV 19 and the carried bolt 13 to swing about pin 29 between their Fig. 5 and Fig. 8 positions, Bolt 13 is mounted to part 19 by a shaft 31 (see Fig, 3 )1, about which the roller bolt is` freely rotatable, and on which the bolt is retained by an outer retaining washer 32, and peening of shaft 31 at 31a. Shaft 31 extends parallel to pin 29, so that the bolt is rotatable about an axis which extends parallel to the pivotal axis of' bolt carrying part 19.

The bolt and part 19 are yieldingly urged to their latching positions of Fig. 2c and Fig. 5 by a spiral spring 33, one of whose ends is received within a transverse slot 34. formed in the non-rotatable pin 29, and the other of whose ends is received about a lug or projection 35 formed on part 19. Spring 33 thus acts to urge part 19 and the bQlt in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 5. Beyond bolt 13, part 19 may have an arcuate edge 36, which is centered about the axis of pin 29. Adjacent this edge, mounting plate 1 2 may have a rigid portion 37, which is turnedjfirst inwardly and thenk upwardly (see Fig. 3), to forma guide element for retaining part 19 against moverrlentl inwardly. away from, plate 12, To supplement this,` guiding effect, plate 12 may h avea vertical flange portion 1241 turned inwardly at righ-t angles to the main rectangular portion ofplate 12, and containing a vertical slot 38 for movably receiving and guiding a projection 39 formed at the outer end of part 19 (see Figs. 5 and 7). The end portion 39 of part 19 may be offset somewhat inwardly with respect to the main portion of that part, by turning the part first inwardly and then upwardly at 40.

The bolt 13 is preferably adapted to be` released by either an inside operator, usually a swinging handle (not shown), or an outside operator, typically a push button` 41. The inside operator or handle may actuate part 19 and its carried bolt 13 by means of a bell crankf 42vpivotally attached at 43 to fiange12a of plate 12. Thel bellpcrank may be connected by a ystrap 44 With the insidegoperltor, so that the crank is swung in a clockwise direction (as seen in Fig. 7) upon actuation of the inside operator. Crank 42 has an arm which engages projection 39 of part 19, to actuate that part and the bolt downwardly in a bolt releasing direction upon the defined clockwise swinging movement of crank 42.

Push button 41 acts to release the bolt through an actuating part 45, and a connecting member 46, which serves as a releasable connection between part-s 45 and 19. Connector 46 is actuable between active (unlocked) and inactive (locked) positions by a pivotal locking member 49. Element 45 is pivotally mounted by pin 29 for swinging movement about the same axis as bolt carrying part 19. The upper portion of element 45 may have an inturned flange 45a, which is engageable by push button 41 so that leftward sliding movement of the push button (as seen in Fig. 5) acts to swing element 45 in a counter clockwise direction about pin 29. This swinging movement is transmitted to parts 19 through an inturned ear or lug 47 of connector part 46, which lug is engaged at itsupper side by a projection 48 of element 45, and at its underside is engageable with projection 39 of part 19.

To now. describe the construction of pin 29 more specifically (see Fig. l0), this pin may have four portions 29a, 29b, 29C, and 29d all of which are cylindrical and centered about a common axis. The first portion 29a extends through plate 12 and the hollow lug 15, and is peened at its outer end to retain the lug to the plate. The second portion 29b is of a somewhat greater diameter, and acts as a head for retaining the pin against outward movement relative to the plate. This second portion also serves to pivotally mount part 19. The third and still larger portion 29C pivotally mounts element 45, while the fourth portion 29d retains element 45 on the pin. A fifth reduced dimension portion contains the previously mentioned slot 34 for receiving the turned end of spring 33.

Locking-part 49 is mounted for pivotal movement between its full line and broken line positions of Fig. 5. This mounting is effected by'a pin 50, which is attached to the inner side of plate 12, and extends through an opening in element 49. Pin 50 extends parallel to pin 29, to mount element 49 for swinging movement about a horizontal axis parallel to the axis of pivotal movement of the other parts.

Locking'part 49 is actuable between its two Fig. 5 positions either by vertical movement of an inner control element 51, or swinging movement of an outer key controlled element 52. The inner element 51 is connected atA its upper end to the usual depressable garnish mold button. The outer key controlled element 52 extends about push button 41, and guides that push button for its essentially horizontal sliding movement. Element 52 and push button 41 are adapted to swing about the axis of the push button in a counter clockwise direction from the Fig 10 unlocked position to a locked position, in which the parts 46 and 49 take the 'broken line positions of Fig. `5. This swingingv movementv ofv element 52 is effected by turning of a proper key inserted' in a key controlled lockstructure accessible from the outer side of 'the door.

Element 52 carries a pin 53, which is receivable within a recess 54 formed in a turned end portion 55 of element 49, so that the defined swinging rotary movement of element 52 acts to move locking element 49 between its two Fig. 5 positions. An overcenter spring 56 may haveihts opposite ends 57 and 58 connected into openings in element 49 and plate 12 respectively, so that this spring will act to yieldingly hold' element 49 'in either of its two positions. The left end portion of element 49, as seen in Fig. 5, may extend through a vertically elongated guide slot 59 inthe inturned portion 12a of plate 12, to assist pin 50`in guidingelement 49 for only the desired limited'swinging movement.

Connecting member 46 .may be formed of sheet' metal extending parallel to plate 12, and may be vertically escasas elongated, as shown. This connectingrnember46 con- Ttains a `vertically elongated straight s lot 60fthr'ough which the previously mentioned pin 50 eXtendsHThe 'portion of pin 50 which isrreceived within slot 60 is cylin- "drical and of an external diameter corresponding subl'stantially to the width of the slot, to guide the connecting nernber 46 for transverse movement relative to element 49. An additional pin 61, also of a diameter corresponding to the width of slot60, is carried by a downyvardly extending portion 62 of element 49, and projects from that element through the slot and in parallel relation to pin 50, to coact with that pin in guiding Iconnecting member 46. As will be understood, this pin and slot connection mounts connector member 46 for swinging movement about pin 50 with element 49, and

'also for essentially vertical sliding movement relative 't-o element 49. A spring 63 is connected at one end 64 to member 46, and at .its other end bears downwardly against pin 50, to yieldingly retract member 46 upwardly relative to element 49. Such upward retraction of member 46 is of course limited at the Fig. 5 position, member 46 being movable downwardly to the Fig. 8 position.

When. the door is closedthe engagement of keeper 14 with bolt 13 acts to deect the bolt downwardly and :swing bolt carrying part 19 in a counter clockwise direction as seen in Figs. and 8. I utilize this keeper induced swinging movement of parts 13 and 19 to automatically unlock the latch mechanism by virtue'of clos- -ing movement of the door, to thus prevent accidental llocking of the mechanism. For this purpose, part 19 has `an upper portion 66, which extends upwardly and then laterally toward connecting part 46, and which is engageable with a projection 65 on part 46 to deflect the latter from its broken line position in Fig. 5 to its full line position as a result of the swinging movement of part 19 caused by engagement of bolt 13 with the keeper as the door is closed. Projection 66 is so dimensioned as to be movable out of the path of keeper induced swinging movement of part 19 when connecting element 46. is actuated downwardly while inrits broken line position of Fig. 5. Thatis, when element 46 is in its broken line position, and is then actuatedl downwardly byl counter clockwise movement of element l45, this so positions element 46 that the movement of part 19 effected by engagement of the bolt withpthe keeper during closing of the door no longer can serve to deiiect element 46 and gre associated element 49 to their full line positions of The configuration of latching surface 22 of the keeper can be defined most readily by describing its relation to the door carried parts when the keeper and bolt are in their latched relative positions of Figs. 2c and 4. More specifically, when the parts are in that relation, latching surface 22 of the keeper preferably extends substantially arcuately about the axis of pin 29, that is about the pivotal' axis of bolt 13 and bolt carrying member 19. For best results, the surface 22 may be cylindrical and very precisely centered about the defined axis, though it is possible to employ a straight rather than a curved surface, with that straight surface, being tangential to an arc centered .about the axis of .pin 29. The surface 23 at the opposite side of the keeper may be curved at the same radius as surface 22, these two surfaces desirably being symmetrical with respect to the previously mentioned vertical central' plane 28. The cylindrical safety notch surface 21 is parallel to the .axis of pin 29, and has a radius equal to that of the engageable outer surface of bolt 13.

To now describe the operation of the illustrated latch mechanism, first assume that the door is in open condition, and that the latch parts are in the unlocked full line positions of Fig. 5. As the door is then closed, bolt 13 first engages surface 23 of keeper 14, .see Fig. 2a, and is deflected downwardly by the keeper to override its first projection, and then move upwardlyrinto recess 21 to the safety catch position of Fig. 2b. Further closing move- 6 ment of the door advances the bolt past the second keeper projection, so that the bolt may move upwardly under the influence of spring 33 to the Fig. 2c latched position. By virtue of the described configuration of latching surface 22, there is virtually no backlash in the mechanism as bolt 13 moves upwardly along surface 22 toward latched position.

The interengagement of bolt 13 and the keeper in their Fig. 2c positions acts to retain the door in closed condition, until the bolt is released by either the inside operator or the Voutside operator. As previously described, the actuation of the inside operator serves through strap 44 and crank 42 to swing part 19 and the bolt downwardly to the Fig. 2d position, and thus permit opening of the door. For releasing the bolt from the outside of the door, push button 41 is pressed inwardly from its Fig. 5 position to its Fig. 8 position, to swing element 45 in a counter-clockwise direction to its Fig. 8 position, with that swinging movement being transmitted through ear 47 of connector member 46 to projection 39 of part 19. The

part 19 is thus swung downwardly as seen in Fig. 9, to`

rel'ease the bolt and Vpermit opening movement of the door.

member 46 upwardly relative to element 49.

If it is now desired to lock the door, locking member 49 is swung to its Fig. 5 broken line position by actuation of either the inner control member 51 or the outer key operated control member 5,2. This swinging movement of locking member 49 correspondingly swings the carried connector member 46 to its Fig. 5 broken line position, in which its lower turned ear 47 is moved to the right of projection 39 of part 19. When connector member 46 is in this position, counter-clockwise swinging movement of element 45 upon inward movement of push button 41 still serves to actuate connector 46 downwardly, but such downward movement of the connector member does not correspondingly actuate part 19 and the bolt. This is true because, in locked position member 46 is located above a recessed portion 66 of part 19, rather than above projectionV 39, so that ear 47 of connector 46 does not engage and actuate downwardly the projection 39 upon downward movement of connector 46. lnward movement of push button 41 then serves merely to move connector 46 downwardly into recess 66', without releasing the bolt.

If the door is closed while the lock mechanism is in its Fig. 5 broken line (locked) position, the keeper overriding deflection of the bolt during closing movement of the door serves to automatically actuate parts 46 and 49 to their Fig. 5 full line (unlocked) position. Specifically,

las bolt 13 engages and overrides the keeper, the bolt is deflected downwardly, to correspondingly :swing the bolt carrying part 19 in a counter-clockwise direction (as seen in Fig. 8), so that upper projection 66 of part 19 engages projection 65 of element 46, to swing element 46 and the associated locking element 49 in a clockwise direction (as seen in Figs. 5 and 8) to the Fig. 5 full line position.

If, however, push button 41 is pressed inwardly during such closing movement of the door (with the mechanism locked), the keeper induced bolt deliection is then ineffective to 4unlock the mechanism, so that the mechanism remains in locked condition. This is true because the inward movement of push button 41 acts to move connector member 46 downwardly within recess 66', so that projection 65 is out of the path of swinging movement of projection 66, and the keeper induced deflection of bolt 13 and part 19 therefore has no effect on connector member 46. As a result, the door may be locked without the use of a key, merely by depressing inner element 51 to swing locking element 49 to its Fig. 5 dotted position, and then pressing push button 41 inwardly while the door is -being closed.

In the latched condition of the apparatus, as shown in When the push button is released, spring 33 re turns part 19 upwardly, and spring 63 returns connector' Fig.l2,c, the dovetail lug bears downwardly against keeper 14, while bolt 13 bears against the keeper in a direction having an upward component (i. e. a component in the reverse vertical direction). As previously mentioned, it is rather important for assuring a most effective latching action that the pivotal bolt 13.be mounted in a particular relation to lug 15. Specifically, the bolt is so mounted that its keeper engaging portion13a is offset vertically with respect to the axis of the bolt in the same vertical direction (downwardly as shown), as the direction in which lug 1S bears .against the keeper. By virtue of this arrangement, any vibration of the parts in use can not have the effect of causingthe bolt to ride downwardly along keeper surface 22 toward unlatched position, as often occurs where the lug and bolt are not positioned in this unique relation.

I claim:

A dovetail latch mechanism .comprising a keeper adapted to be mounted to a support member, and a bolt structure to be mounted to a door which is mounted for horizontal swinging movement relative to said member in opening and closing directions; said keeper having a generally upwardly facing first bearing surface at its upper side having a portion disposed essentially parallel to the direction of essentially horizontal closing movement cf the door; said keeper having a second surface facing generally downwardly at its underside, said bolt structure including an essentially vertically extending mounting plate adapted to be mounted on the free edge of the door and containing a slot, means forming a projected downwardly facing bearing surface on said plate at the outer side thereof and engageable downwardly against said first keeper surface, a swinging plate-like arm pivotally attached to the inner side of said mounting plate for swinging movement parallel to the mounting plate about an essentiallyhorizontal axis which remains continuously xed relative to the mounting plate, a bolt projecting horizontally from said arm and through said slot at a level spaced substantially below the level of said axis and substantially below the level of said downwardly facing projected bearing surface and carried by the arm for swinging movement therewith in latching and antilatching directions about said fixed axis, said keeper being adapted to pass vertically between said projected bearing surface and said bolt upon door closing movement with said first and second bearing surfaces on the keeper engaging said projected bearing surface and said bolt respectively, said second keeper surface having oney portion inclined in a first direction and adapted upon door closing movement to initially engage the bolt and deliect it in antilatching direction and away from 8. said projected bearing surface, said second keeper surface having a second portion inclined in the opposite direction and along which the bolt will then advance in latchingdirection into holding engagement with said second inclined portion to retain the door closed, said bolt having a surface facing at an upward inclination substantially directly toward said fixed axis and which bears toward said axis against said second inclined portion of said second keeper surface in latched position of the bolt, said second inclined portion of said second keeper surface being curved essentially arcuately in correspondence with the path of pivotal movement of the engaged bolt surface about said fixed axis, and a spring continuouslyv urging said arm and bolt in latching direction to yieldingly resist said deection thereof in antilatching direction and thenlatch the bolt in holding engagement with said second inclined portion of said second keeper surface, said boltinits fully latched position creating a direct pull at annupwardy inclination toward said axis and againstsaidy second inclined portion of the second keeper surface to resist opening movement of the door andy at thevsame time hold said projected bearing surface of the mounting plate tightly against said first keeper surface in a tight dovetail relation, said fixed pivotal axis of the bolt; in all conditions of the mechanism, being spaced above the level of said projected bearing surface and said firstl keeper surface, and said projected bearingsurface andthe engaging first keeper surface, in latched conditionof the mechanism, having engaging portions intersecting a line extending directly between said axis-and theke'eper engaging portion of the bolt so that the bolt pulls the keeper atan upward inclination directly toward and/into tight engagement with said projectedV bearing surface,

References-Cited Ainthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,099,626 Stevenson June 9, 1914 1,923,688 Rightmyer Aug. 22, 1933 2,013,285 Mooney Sept. 3, 1935 2,118,481 Steen May 24, 1938 2,131,198 Tasman Sept. 17, 1938 2,167,391 Marple July 25, 1939 2,499,111 Roethel g Feb. 28, 1950 2,552,815 Roethel May 15, 1951 2,557,468 Roethel June 19, 1951 2,642,301 Endter lune 16, 1953 2,658,780 Dall Nov. 10, 1953 42,719,049 Fish Sept. 27, 1955 2,728,214 Craig Dec. 27, 1955 

